It is well known that people with limited mobility such as disabled and elderly often require assistance to use a conventional bathtub in order to properly bathe because their limited mobility inhibits them from safely lowering themselves or lifting themselves out of a conventional bathtub.
To address such a need, applicant is aware of attempts in the prior art to provide bath enclosures with access doors. For example, applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,769 which issued to Cowley for a Bath on Jan. 28, 1969, wherein Cowley discloses the use of a guillotine style door to provide access for infirm persons to a bathtub.
Applicant is also aware of United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 1,213,358 published Nov. 25, 1970 for The Improvements in or Relating to Baths of Preston which discloses use of a sliding door to close an aperture in a bath, where the door slides horizontally on a guide upon the operation of a double-acting hydraulic cylinder and piston.
Applicant is also aware of European Patent Application No. 0 913 115 which was published May 6, 1999 for The Bath With A Side Access Opening Equipped With A Watertight Flap of Landi et al. which discloses a bath equipped with either a door hinged horizontally or vertically or a horizontally or vertically sliding door.
Applicant is further aware of United Kingdom Patent Application No. 2 334 438 published Aug. 25, 1999 for The Circular Sliding Door For A Bathtub of Nailer which discloses the use of a bathtub having a circular sliding door. The door slides sideways in both directions and moves forward and backward on rollers mounted to top and bottom of the door. The rollers run on runners which are fixed to panels above and below the rollers, the roller wheels interlocking with the runners. Hydraulic actuators hold the door when closed against a door seal.
Further, applicant is aware of applicant's own published PCT application No. PCT/CA03/00015 and corresponding U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/500,133 published Dec. 2, 2004, entitled Bathtub Having Sliding Access Door for the Disabled and Elderly.